Method for treating fruit



Feb. 15, 1944. o. s. SELLS ET AL METHOD FOR TREATING FRUIT Filed July 31. 1940 6 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 15, 1944. o. s. SELLS ET AL METHOD FOR TREATING FRUIT Filed July 31, 1940 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 15, 1944. o. s. SELLS ET Al.

METHOD FOR TREATING FRUI T Filed July 31, 1940 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Feb. 15, 1944. 0. s. SELLS ET AL METHOD FOR TREATING FRUIT Filed July 31, 1940 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Feb. 15, 1944. 5, SELLS ET AL 2,342,063

METHOD FOR TREATING FRUIT Filed July 31. 1940 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Feb. 15, 1944. o 5 SELLS ET AL 2,342,063

METHOD FOR TREATING FRUIT 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed July 31 1940 Patented Feb. 15, 1944 METHOD FOR TREATING FRUIT Ogden S. Sells and Howard L. Porch, Riverside,

Calif., assignors to Food ry Corporation, San Jose, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Application July 31, 1940. Serial No. 348,978

Claims.

This invention relates to the art of treating fresh whole fruit with the principal object of reducing the shrinkage of fruit treated thereby and enhancing the appearance therefor.

The invention constitutes an improvement on that particular method of treating fruit 'set forth in U. 8. Letters Patent of Jagan N. Shanna, No. 2,212,621. The Shanna method aforesaid involves the application in diifused condition of a clear solution of wax in a highly volatile solvent to fresh fruit and the like, in relatively small quantities so that the fruit will not be burned thereby, and then permitting the solution so applied to be undisturbed to cause the evaporation of solvent from the particles of solution on the fruit so that the wax in these particles of solution is deposited in situ on the fruit. The object of the Sharma process is to control the shrinkage of the fruit treated so that it will remain in fresh condition longer than otherwise, and to give the fruit a bright, fresh appearance.

In the early stages of development of the Sharma process, the wax solution was applied to the fruit by an ordinary paint spray gun in which the dlifusion of the solution was produced by propelling from the nozzle a pencil-like stream of the solution and impacting converging jets of air traveling at high velocity against the stream of solution. These air jets broke the solution up into fine particles and formed these particles into a fan-shaped blast of mist which was propelled, by the force of the stream of liquid and the jets of air, over a distance of three or four feet into contact with a layer of fruit to be treated.

Performing the Sharma method in this manner produced satisfactory shrinkage control of the fruit without damaging the latter but the cost was high. It was very much desired, therefore, to decrease the cost of the process if there was any way that this could be done.

One of the expensive features of performing the Sharma method with paint spray guns was the cost of the guns themselves and the air compressing apparatus necessary to operate these. In treating fruit with the Sharma process, with an average size applicator of four-foot width, two such guns were necessary, and the cost of these guns was about twenty dollars each. The air compressor needed to supply these guns with air cost in the neighborhood of three hundred dollars. To cheapen his method, Sharma substituted spray nozzles operated by hydraulic pressure for the paint spray guns, as these nozzles could be bought for less than two dollars each and a pump to deliver the solution to these nozzles can be had for approximately flve dollars.

In his application copending, and above identified, Shanna discloses the manner in which he uses hydraulic nozzles for treating fresh fruit with a solution of wax. Shanna found it necessary, however, to use four nozzles in the average size applicator of four-foot width. The amount of solution required by the Sharma method disclosed in said copending application still made this a relatively expensive process and it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of and apparatus for treating fresh whole fruit with a solution of waxy material for retarding the shrinkage and improving the appearance of said fruit which has a relatlvely high eflicien'cy from the standpoint of the amount of material used.

The manner of accomplishing the foregoing object as well as other objects and advantages will be made manifest in the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the apparatus of this invention with portions of the housing thereof broken away to disclose certain of the operating elements of the apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of said apparatus taken on the line 2-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a still further enlarged detail crosssectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4 showing one-half of the apparatus.

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view taken on the same planeias Fig. 5 and illustrating the velocities of air at various points in this plane during the operation of said apparatus.

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view taken on the plane 8-8 of Fig. 7 and indicating the velocities of travel of air to various points in said plane in the operation of said apparatus.

Referring specifically to the drawings, the apparatus ll of the invention includes a base frame II on which is supported a conveyor housing i2, having a front wall l3, side walls II and 15. a rear wall It, and a cover ll. The walls I! and 16 have fruit intake and discharge openings l8 and ill respectively, the wall It providing a-receiving delivery plate 24 at the bottom of the opening I8, while the wall It provides a discharge plate 2! at the bottom of the opening 19. Extending into the intake opening it is a central baille plate 22 and side baille plates 22' as seen in Figs. 2 and 3. these plates restricting the intake of air through the inlet opening 18 in a manner described hereinafter. Partially closing the fruit outlet opening II is a flexible curtain 23 formed by horizontal metal strips 24 flexibly joined at adjacent edges thereof as seen in F. 2. The apparatus III is shown as positioned in between a drier 25 which is adapted to receive fruit F to be processed, and a conveyor 26 onto which fruit is discharged upon its leaving the apparatus ID.

The lower portion 21 of the housing wall I! extends outwardly for a reason which will be made clear hereinafter. Provided in the housing l2 so that one end thereof is closed by the wall l and so as to extend through the wall i4. is a cylindrical exhaust pipe 30. An upper forward sector is cut away to provide an opening 3|, from the lower edge of which a drip pan 32 extends as shown in Fig. 2, while from the upper edge of said opening a short wall 33 extends upwardly and rearwardly.

Mounted in the housing I2 is a roller conveyor 40. This conveyor includes an endless series of rollers H which are rotatably mounted on chains 42 which are trained about suitable sprockets fixed on shafts 46, 41, and 48, opposite ends of which are journalled in suitable hearings in the housing walls l4 and Ii. The path of the conveyor 40 is triangular as shown in Fig. 2 and surrounds the exhaust pipe 10. The upper flight of the conveyor is inclined upwardly from the point at which it receives fruit from the delivery plate toward the point where it discharges this fruit onto the discharge plate 2|. The conveyor 40 is driven from the shaft 48 by a sprocket 49 fixed on this shaft and a chain it which connects this sprocket with a pinion II on a shaft 52. One end of the latter shaft is iournalled in a bearing mounted on the lower portion 21 of the wall It. The other end of this shaft is connected by a suitable flexible coupling (not shown) to the sear shaft 83 of a geared motor 55 which is mounted on the base frame I I just outside the wall I4.

As shown in Fig. 3. the rollers 4| are preferably provided with metal straps B6 helically wound about these rollers and secured thereto, the straps on adjacent rollers being pitched in opposite directions. Upper flights of the chains 42 travel on tracks 58 which are mounted on inner surfaces of the walls I4 and it. Also mounted on and extending inwardly from these walls are guard aprons 65, the lower edges of which turn downwardly and extend close to the ends of the cylindrical outer surfaces of the rollers 4|.

Each of the rollers 4|, at the end thereof adjacent the wall It, is provided with a sprocket 56. These sprockets oi the rollers in the upper flight of conveyor come into mesh with a spinner chain 61 which rides on a track 68 and is driven as shown in Fig. 2 by a chain and sprocket connection with the shaft 41. so that the upper flight of the chain 61 travels in the opposite direction from the upper flights of the chains 42. The spinner chain 61 thus causes the rollers 4i to spin relatively rapidly while they are in the upper flight oi the conveyor 40. the direction of rotation of the rollers being such as to cause the uppermost surfaces of these rollers to travel toward the discharge end of the conveyor at a velocity which is several times that of the bodily movement of the rollers with the chains 42.

Connecting the tracks 58 on opposite sides of the machine is a spreader bar Ill (see Fig. 2) which not only rigidly spaces the tracks 68 and assists in supporting the track 08. but it also provides a support for a baflie plate ll, straps 12 of which are shaped to support this baflle plate partially on the spreader bar II and partially on the drip pan 32.

It is to be noted that a good-sized air space is left open between the upper edge of the baille plate U and the wall 33 and a somewhat smaller air space is left open between the lower edge of the bailie plate H and the drip pan I2.

Mounted on the open end of the exhaust pipe is an air evacuating blower having a fan 16 l which is rotated by V-belts ll directly driven by a triple drive pulley I8 of the motor 55. The fan 18 is mounted so that when rotated it exhausts air from the exhaust pipe in and discharges this air upwardly through a pipe Bll which preferably leads to a point outside the building in which the apparatus III is installed. the purpose for this being made clear hereinafter. The inner of the three runways of the drive pulley 18 receives a belt II by which a solution pump 82 is driven by the motor 55. when the pump 82 is being driven by the motor 55. it sucks treating solution up from a storage tank (not shown) through a pipe 88 after passing this through a nlter l4, and then delivers this solution through a pipe 86 to the spray mechanism ll of the apparatus It. This mechanism is mounted on an inverted U-shaped frame II which is secured tothe outside of walls l4 and Ii and extends upwardly above the cover ll.

The mechanism includes a channel mounting plate 92 which is flxed upon the U-shaped frame 9|, this channel member carrying a fan motor 92 and having secured to opposite ends thereof a spray unit 94. These spray units being substantially identical. a description of one will sufllce for both. Each of the units 94 includes a fan housing 95 which surrounds a fan 98, the latter being mounted upon one of a pair of drive shafts 81 extending in opposite directions from the motor 93. The fan housing 95 has a relatively large discharge opening 98 which fits into the upper end of a conduit housing I60. This housing provides a central conduit llll, an upper conduit I02, and a lower conduit I02. Mounted in each of the housings IN! is a pipe "0, these being connected together by a pipe Ill, and supplied with solution by the pipe 85. Each of the pipes Hll supports and supplies so ution to a nozzle I I2 which is held by its mounting on said pipe lit with its axis coinciding with that of the conduit "II as shown in Fig. 4 and with the tip and of the nozzle substantially in the plane of the discharge mouth of said conduit ill. As shown in Fig. 5, each nozzle 2 is of the hydraulic pressure spray type from which the solution fed thereto is sprayed in a cone of spray H3.

The optimum conditions produced in the apparatus of this invention have been attained when using for the nozzles 2 what is commercially known as the Binks #40 nozzle which is illustrated in Fig. 5 andin which the discharge aperture is of a diameter of of an inch or less. Various nozzles have been tried out in which the angle of the cone of spray varies from 45 degrees up to degrees. The smaller angle in the cone of spray, however, has resulted in a relatively narrow distribution of the solution in the operation of the apparatus and it has been found that an angle of from 80 to degrees in the cone of spray gives the optimum spread and consequently the highest degree of eiilciency in the consumption of solution in the performance of this process.

The air discharge conduits IOI, I02, and I03 are of substantially the same cross-sectional area, and in the preferred embodiment illustrated this is about 2.25 square inches.

OPGTGHO" The operation of the process and apparatus or the present invention is as follows:

A tank (not shown) with which the pipes 83 and H6 connect, is furnished with a supply of the solution of waxy material. The process and apparatus of this invention may employ any one or more of a wide variety of waxy materials. It is preferable to use paraflin either alone or in mixture with spermacetti wax, paramn of various grades and of diflerent melting points being thus used, the type selected depending upon the atmospheric conditions and the temperatures under which the process is performed. Other waxy materials which may be utilized in the process and apparatus of the present invention include beeswax, ozocerite, and hydrogenated edible oils.

Various volatile solvents may be employed including petroleum solvents such as lacquer diluents, rubber solvent, and refined petroleum distillates. The essential characteristic of the solvent employed is that it should be suificiently volatile to evaporate readily in the process. For example, in the treatment of citrus fruit by this process a rubber solvent may be employed having a boiling point range of 140 F. to 160 F. In cases where the atmospheric temperatures met with are somewhat lower, solvent has,. been employed having a boiling point range of 100 F. to 210 F. Where the atmospheric temperatfi'e is very high, lacquer solvents having boiling point ranges of 160 F. to 270 F. and 190 F. to 350 F. have been found suitable.

Generally, and particularly for the treatment of citrus fruit, the end boiling point of the volatile solvent employed should be below about 350 F. and it is preferred to employ solvents the boiling point ranges of which are between 100 F. and 350 F., or at least 90% to 95% of the solvent should have a boiling point below about 350 F.

The waxy material should be substantially completely dissolved in the volatile solvent so as to avoid clogging the nozzles. Generally speaking, the amount of wax which can be held in solution varies with the temperature of the solution. In cases of extremely high atmospheric temperature using petroleum solvents as above described, the solvent may retain in solution as much as 10% or more of wax. In ordinary commercial operation, however, it is preferred to use only about 7% of wax in the solution.

A typical formula for the solution to be used in the present invention is that employed on citrus fruits in California during the summer months between March and October, inclusive. In this formula, 7% of wax is employed for 93% of solvent. The wax is $6 paraifin with a melting point of 120 F. and =59 spermacetti U. S. P. The solvent in this formula goes commercially by the term "Rubber Solvent A and is made by the Shell Oil Company, Inc., of California. It has a boiling point range of 160 F. to 230 F. This solution is applied in performing the process or our invention under 20pounds pressure, with the nozzles adjusted to dispense one gallon per hour per nozzle on a flow of fruit through the machine at the rate of 150 pounds per nozzle per minute. That is, one gallon of the solution is used for treating four and one-half tons of fruit.

As already indicated, the apparatus I0 is adapted to operate in conjunction with and in line between a drier 20 and a conveyor belt 20, so as to receive fruit F from the drier and after waxing this discharge said fruit to the conveyor 26. The apparatus I0 is set in operation by energizing the motors 05 and 03. The motor 50 runs the conveyor 40 in the manner above described so as to receive any fruit delivered onto the upper flight of the rollers H from the delivery plate 20 and carry this fruit in a slightly inclined layer while rotating the individual pieces of fruit until the fruit is discharged from the conveyor onto the discharge plate 2i. The motor 55 also rotates the exhaust blower I6 at high speed so as to suck air downwardly through open portions of the opening Ii in the exhaust pipe 00, this air passing through the exhaust fan I6 and being discharged upwardly through the pipe 00. In order to reach the exhaust pipe 30, the air thus sucked thereinto must pass into the apparatus I0 through the intake and discharge openings I0 and I9, and downwardly through the upper flight of the conveyor 40 from the space thereabove. Most of the air thus drawn into the apparatus I0 enters through the intake I8 rather than through the discharge I9 as the latter is substantially restricted by the curtain 23. As will be seen in Fig. 3. the baiiie plates 22 and 22' restrict all of the upper half of the intake I0 except for areas adjacent opposite sides of the spray units 94 and similar areas adjacent the side walls I4 and IS. The purpose of exhausting this air from just below the conveyor 40 is to dispose of all solvent vapors produced in the waxing process and thus prevent contamination of the air in the packing house in which the apparatus I0 is installed. At the same time, this exhausting of the air from the housing prevents an explosive mixture of air and solvent vapor from developing therein.

The motor 55 also runs the pump 02 and builds up pressure against a valve Ill through which solution must pass from the pump 82 to the pipe 85. The valve III is kept closed until fruit is actually traveling through the apparatus l0.

When this is the case, the pump 82 produces such a pressure of solution against the valve I as to force this solution through a pressure release H5 into an overflow pipe I I6 and thence back to the storage tank from which the pipe 83 leads. When fruit is traveling through the machine and a suitable pressure of solution has been built up by the pump 82 as indicated by a pressure gauge Hi, the valve III is opened and the solution allowed to pass through the pipe 85 to the nozzles N2 of the spraying mechanism 90.

As before described, the delivery of solution under hydraulic pressure to the nozzles I I2 causes a cone of spray II3 to be discharged from the nose or each of these nozzles. Operation of the motor 03 causes the fans 00 to suck air into the housings and discharge this air downwardly through the conduit housings I00 and out through the conduits IOI, I02, and I03. This air is preferably discharged through these conduits at a velocity of from two or three thousand feet per minute. The cross-sectional area of the conduits IM, I02, and I01, being as above stated, preferably about two square inches each, the Jets of air delivered from these conduits travel at an extremely low rate compared with paint gun practice. The object of this is to prevent further breaking up the particles of solution delivered in the spray cones Iii into the path of these jets of air. These converging jets, however, serve to take up the particles of solution delivered thereto in the cones lit and spread these out in two fan-shaped streams entirely across the conveyor 40. Figs. 7 and Billustrate the preferable air velocities at which the spray mechanism III is operated.

It is to be noted that the optimum velocity of the jets aforesaid shown in these figures is 2450 feet per minute and that the velocity of the air in the stream formed thereby where this contacts the fruit carried on the conveyor it varies from 200 to 650 feet per minute. Under these optimum conditions the let velocity is within a range of about 12.25 times one of the velocities with which said stream contacts the fruit. Figs. 7 and 8 also indicate that the average velocity at which the major portion of said air stream contacts said fruit is about 450 feet per minute. The optimum Jet velocity shown in Fig. 8 is thus within a range of approximately 5.4 times said average.

It should be understood that the particular apparatus disclosed and optimum values above men-l tioned are illustrative only and that the present invention is capable of being practiced with a wide variety of specific types of apparatus and velocity ratios. It is to be noted however that there is a marked contrast between the illustrative velocity ratios given and the corresponding velocity ratios of current paint spray gun prestice which are of an extremely high order.

In ordinary paint spray gun practice, it is common to surround a jet of the liquid to be sprayed with a sleeve of air traveling at a very high rate of speed so as to cause an instantaneous dispersion of the liquid in the form of a blast of very fine fog. Where it is desirable in paint gun practice to flatten out this blast of fog in applying it to a surface. the blast is hit shortly after it is first formed by converging lets of air traveling at terriiic speed.

In the present invention, the central column of air passing through the conduit l0l does not have the eil'ect of dispersing the sprayed liquid into fine particles. It merely feeds into the columns of air emitted from the conduits I02 and III, to aid in the formation of a tan-like stream of air moving approximately along the axis of the nozzle H2 directly and rapidly toward the fruit carried on the conveyor. The central column of air also performs the useful function of preventing particles of solution being driven back onto the nozzle III which would tend to clog the nozzle with an accumulation of wax.

The cone of spray H3 is formed entirely by hydraulic pressure. It is not produced partly by hydraulic pressure and partly by air pressure as is the case with the central jet of spray initially produced in paint spray gun practice. A nozzle for forming a spray entirely by hydraulic pressure comes under the term "film forming" nozzle which is applied to all nozzles which disperse liquid in spray form by the application'of mechanical energy directly to the liquid through a solid medium. This class of nozzles are represented by four common types of construction: (a) the common pressure nozzle in which the aseaoes liquid issuing from an orifice is given a whirling motion and thereby forms a widening conical film of spray: (in the impinging nozzle in which a jet of liquid at high velocity strikes a surface or edge and spreads into a fan-shaped spray: (c) the double-jet nozzle in which two jets of liquid impinge, forming a flat fan-shaped spray similar to type b; and (d) the spinning cup or disc spray in which a sheet of liquid is thrown from aa'apidly revolving edge by centrifugal ac- The nozzles commonly used in paint sp ay can practice and described hereinabove are classified commercially, under the term "atomizing nozzles." In these the liquid that is sprayed is delivered to the nozzle at a relatively low pressure and is torn into threads or filaments by a high velocity jet of compressed air or steam. (Page 1370, vol. 30, No. 12, Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, isssued December, 1938.)

The present invention was developed after the foremost manufacturers of paint spray guns in America had been given an opportunity to solve the problem of efl'ectively applying a volatile soiution of wax to fruit, and had failed to accomplish this with a degree of efliciency making it practical. The reason for their failure is now attributed to the fact that the spray gun which had the best results of all those which they tried had an air Jet nozzle velocity of 171,400 feet per minute, these lets coming from major orifices which were of an inch in diameter and having cross-sectional areas of .00346 square inch. While these Jets of air rapidly lost this tremendous velocity, most of this loss was incidental to their impinging against the previously atomized column of spray particles. The kinetic energy of these Jets when thus impinging against the spray, broke up the particles of spray into a very fine mist, or fog, and flattened out this fog into a highly turbulent blast of flattened cross-section. This might be very good practice for handling paints and it might seem to be very good practice for the purpose of waxing fresh fruits with highly volatile solutions of wax, yet it turned out, after the present invention was discovered, to be relatively inemcient for the latter purpose.

Various explanations might be made of the exceptional efliciency in waxing fruit obtained by the present invention over paint gun practice, fie most acceptable theory advanced being as fol- The process and apparatus of this invention dlfluses the solution without breaking this up anywhere near so finely as is inevitable in paint spray gun practice. The relatively large drops of solution thus produced are dispersed and adequately conveyed by a flat, rapidly moving stream of air which delivers these particles to the surfaces of the fruit with a relatively slight loss of solvent from the solution while the particles are in transit as compared with the loss in handling this solution by paint spray gun practice.

The eiiiciency of the present invention also exceeds that of the apparatus shown in the copending application of Jagan N. Sharma aforesaid in which the currents of air depended on for conveying the atomized treating solution onto the fruit are set up entirely by the sucking of air downwardly through the fruit-carrying conveyor. In the present invention, air is not only evacuated downwardly through this conveyor, but the solution sprayed into the atmosphere by the hydraulic pressure with which it is delivered to the nozzles is entrained in relatively large partides in a rapidly moving fan-propelled stream of air formed by lets of exceedingly large crosssectional area and delivered at comparatively very small muzzle velocity. Thus, the relatively large droplets or particles of the solution are carried onto the fruit with a minimum of delay following the formation of these particles.

This may explain why this process produces with approximately one-half the quantity of treating solution an equal or greater degree of shrinkage control than that obtainable by either i the paint spray gun apparatus or with. the Sharma apparatus. It is thought that the secret of this eiliciency is to be found in the diminished opportunity for evaporation of the solvent from the solution when applied in accordance with the present invention. The larger particles expose much smaller surface area to evaporation for a given volume of solution than the finer particles. Then rapidly conveying these particles, as in the present invention, from the point of their formation to their contact with the fruit, without further dividing said particles, subjects these particles to contact with the air for a relatively brief interval as compared with the Sharma apparatus.

This explanation is based on the reasoning that, being much more fluid upon its reaching the fruit in the present invention, the solution spreads over a greater area for a given quantity of solution: and that the amount of shrinkage control obtained is proportional to the area over which the solution spreads, rather than to the precise amount of solution deposited On the fruit.

We claim:

l. The method of treating fresh whole fruit which consists in applying thereto a solution of coating material in a volatile, organic solvent by discharging said solution into the atmosphere to form a spray and then pneumatically conveying particles of said spray rapidly into contact with said fruit by delivering a plurality of Jets of air under super-atmospheric pressure to impact against said spray from different directions to pick up said spray particles and produce an air stream conveying said particles rapidly into con tact with said fruit, the velocity of said air lets being within a range of not over about 12.25 times one ofthe velocities with which said stream contacts said fruit.

2. The method of treating fresh whole fruit which consists in applying thereto a solution of coating material in a volatile, organic solvent by discharging said solution into the atmosphere to form a spray and then pneumatically conveying particles of said spray rapidly into contact with said fruit by delivering a .plurality of Jets of air from diflerent directions under super-atmospheric pressure to impact against said spray to pick up said spray particles and produce an air stream conveying said particles into contact with said fruit, the .velocity of said air lets being within a range of not over approximately 5.4 times the average velocity with which the major portion of said air stream contacts said fruit.

3. The method of treating fresh whole fruit which consists in applying thereto a solution of coating material in a volatile, organic solvent by discharging said solution into the atmosphere to form a spray and then pneumatically conveyins particles of said spray rapidly into. contact with said fruit by delivering a plurality of jets of air under super-atmospheric pressure to impact from different directions against said spray to pick up said spray particles and produce an air stream rapidly conveying said particles into contact with said fruit, the velocity of said air lets being between about 2000 and 3000 feet per minute.

4. The method of treating fresh whole fruit comprising the steps of forcing a solution consisting of waxy material dissolved in a volatile, organic solvent through a restricted orifice under pressure to thereby diffuse said solution into the atmosphere in the form of a body of spray particles, and continuously propelling air against said body of spray particles to establish and maintaln a stream of air entrainins said particles and conveying the same rapidly and directly into contact with the fruit, the rapidity of movement of said stream being achieved by delivering as aforesaid adequately large volumes of air against said body of spray particles with a velocity which is insuilicient to produce by the impact of said air against said particles a substantial degree of further subdivision of said solution.

5. The method of treating fresh whole fruit which consists in spraying into the atmosphere a solution of waxy material in a volatile, organic solvent to produce a body of diffused particles of said solution of a degree of coarseness suitable for application to said fruit, and continuously propelling air against said body of particles to establish and maintain a stream of air entraining said particles and conveying the same rapidly and directly into contact with the fruit, the rapidity of movement of said stream being achieved by delivering a aforesaid adequately large volumes of air against said body of spray particles with a velocity which is in lent to produce by the impact of said air as t said particles a substantial degree of further subdivision of said solution.

6. The method of treating fresh whole fruit which consists in spraying into the atmosphere a solution of Waxy material in a volatile, organic solvent to produce a body of diffused particles of said solution of a desired degr of coarseness suitable for application to said t, and continuously propelling converging Je of air against said body of particles immediately after the lat ter are formed to establish and maintain a stream of air flowing from the point of impact of said jets against said body of particles to entrain said particles and convey the same rapidly and directly into contact with the fruit. the rapidity of movement of said stream being achieved by providing adeq ately large volumes of air in said Jets delivered as aforesaid against said body of spray particles while propelling the air in said jets at a velocity which is insumcient to produce by the impact of said air against said particles, a substantial degree of further subdivision of said solution.

'1. The method of treating fresh whole fruit which consists in spraying into the atmosphere a solution of waxy material in a volatile, organic solvent to produce a body of diffused particles of said solution of a degree of coarseness suitable for application to said fruit, and continuously propelling air against said body of particles to establish and maintain a stream of air entraining said particles and conveying the same rapidly and directly into contact with the fruit, the rapidity of movement of said stream being achieved by delivering as aforesaid adequately large volumes of air against said body of spray particles with a velocity which is insui'flcient to produce by the impact of said air against said particles, a substantial degree of further subdivision of said solution, and evacuating the air from adjacent said fruit on the opposite side thereof from said air stream. to assist in the application of said spray particles to said fruit, to evaporate the solvent from said particles after they are so applied, and to convey away the solvent fumes produced in said method.

8. The method of treating fresh whole fruit which consists in spraying into the atmosphere a. solution of waxy material in a volatile, organic solvent to produce a body of diifused particles of said solution of a degree of coarseness suitable for application to said fruit, and continuously propelling air against said body of particles to establish and maintain a stream of air entraining said particles and conveying the same rapidly and directly into contact with the fruit, the rapidity of movement of said stream bein achieved by delivering as aforesaid adequately large volumes of air against said body of spray particles with a velocity which is insuiilcient to produce by the impact of said air against said particles, a. substantial degree of further subdivision of said solution, and evacuating the air from adjacent said fruit on the opposite side thereof from said air stream, to assist in the application of said spray particles to said fruit, to evaporate the solvent from said particles after they are so applied, and to convey away the solvent fumes produced in said method, and rotating said fruit while moving the same through said air stream at a uniform rate to secure a substantially uniform distribution of said solution over the exterior of said fruit.

9. The method oftreating freshwhole fruit which consists in providing a solution of waxy material in a volatile, organic solvent, applying mechanical energy directly to said solution through a solid medium to disperse said solution into the atmosphere to produce a body of diffused particles of said solution of a degree of coarseness suitable for application .to said fruit, and continuously propelling air against said body of particles which is adequate in mas times velocity to establish and maintain a stream of air entraining said particles and conveying the same rapidly and directly into contact with the fruit,

the mass factor aforesaid being sufilciently large 5 'the impact of said air against said particles to produce a substantial degree of further subdivision of said solution.

10. The method of treating fresh whole fruit which consists in applying thereto a solution of coating material in a volatile, organic solvent by discharging said solution into the atmosphere to form a spray and then pneumatically applying particles of said spray to said fruit by delivering a plurality of Jets or air under super-atmospheric pressure from different directions to impact against said spray to pick up said spray particles and produce an air stream, the cross sectional area of said jets being relatively large and the velocity of said jets being relatively low in contrast with paint spray gim practice whereby there is not a substantial mi; of subdivision of said particlesdue to the impact of said jets against said spray and yeta sniilcient volume of air is delivered by said jets in forming said stream so that the latter entrains said particles'and rapidly conveys them into contact with said fruit.

11. The method of treating fresh whole fruit which consists in conveying said fruit spread out in a layer over a given path, sp yin into the atmosphere above said fruit a solution of waxy material in a volatile, organic solvent to produce a body of diil'used particles of said solution of a degree of coarseness suitable for application to said fruit and continuously propelling air against said body of particles to establish and maintain a stream of air entraining said particles and conveying the same rapidly and directly into contact with said fruit and along lines slanting relative to said path so that most of said particles are applied to said fruit and relatively few particles pass between said fruit, the rapidity of movement of said stream being achieved by delivering, as aforesaid, adequately large volumes of air against said body of spray particles with a velocity which is insulllcient to produce by the impact of said air against said particles a substantial degree of further subdivision of said particles.

12. The method of treating fresh whole fruit which consists in conveying said fruit spread out in a layer over a given path, spraying into the atmosphere above said fruit a solution of waxy material in a volatile, organic solvent to produce a body of diffused particles of said solution of a degree of coarseness suitable for application to said fruit and continuously propelling air against said body of particles to establish and maintain a stream 'of air entraining said particles and conveying the same rapidly and directly into contact with said fruit and along lines slanting relative to said path so that most of said particles are applied to said fruit and relatively few particles pass between said fruit, the rapidity of movement of said stream being achieved by delivering, as aforesaid, adequately large volumes of air against said body of spray particles with a velocity which is insuflicient to produce by the impact of said air against said particles a substantial degree of further subdivision of said particles, and evacuating the air from beneath said fruit to assist in the application of said spray particles to said fruit, to evaporate the solvent from said particles after they are so applied and to convey away the fumes of said solvent.

13. The method of treating fresh whole fruit which consists in conveying said fruit spread out in a layer over a given path, spraying into the atmosphere above said fruit a solution of waxy material in a volatile, organic solvent to produce a body of diffused particles of said solution of a degree of coarseness suitable for application to said fruit, and continuously propelling air against said body of particles to establish and maintain a stream of air entraining said particles and conveying the same rapidly and directly into contact with said fruit and along lines slanting relative to said path so that most of said particles are applied to said fruit and relatively few particles pass between said fruit, the rapidity of movement of said stream being achieved by delivering, as aforesaid, adequately large volumes of air against said body of'spray particles with a velocity which is insufllcient to produce by the impact of said air against said particles a substantial degree of further subdivision of said particles, and evacuating the air from beneath said fruit to assist in the application of said spray particles to said fruit, to evaporate the solvent from said particles after they are so applied, and to convey away the fumes of said solvent, and rotating said fruit while it is being conveyed, as aforesaid, to secure a substantially uniform distribution of said solution over the exterior of said mm.

14. The method oi treating fresh whole fruit which consists in providing a solution of warm material in a volatile, organic solvent, applying mechanical energy directly to said solution through a solid medium to disperse said solution into the atmosphere to produce a body of difl'used particles of said solution of a degree oi! coarseness suitable for application to said iruit, continuously propelling a Jet or air against said body of particles and toward said fruit, and continuously propelling converging jets of air against said body of particles from above and below, said jets being adequate in mass times velocity to establish and maintain a stream of air entraining said particles and conveying the same rapidly and directly into contact with the fruit, the mass factor aforesaid being sui'ilciently large so that said rapidity is accomplished with a value ior the velocity factor aforesaid, which is insulilcient to cause the impact of said air jets against said particles to produce a substantial degree of further subdivision of said solution.

15. The method or treating fresh whole fruit which consists in conveying said fruit spread out in a layer over a siven path, providing a solution of waxy material in a volatile, organic solvent. applying mechanical energy directly to said solution through a solid medium to disperse said solution into the atmosphere to produce a body or diilused particles of said solution of a degree of coarseness suitable for application to said fruit, continuously propelling a jet of air against said body of particles and toward said fruit, and continuously propelling converging jets of air 'against said body of particles from above and below, said Jets being adequate in mass times velocity to establish and maintain a stream of air entraining said particles and conveying the same rapidly and directly into contact with the fruit, and along lines slanting relative to said path so that most of said particles are applied to said fruit and relatively few particles pass between said fruit, the mass factor aforesaid being sufliciently large so that said rapidity is accomplished with a value for the velocity factor aforesaid, which is insufllcient to cause the impact of said air jets against said particles to produce a substantial degree of further subdivision of said solution.

OGDEN S. BELLS.

HOWARD L. PORCH. 

